Political leaders praise the collaboration
At the contract signing in Fellbach, state and municipal political leaders described the collaboration as pioneering for Germany. They said fiber-based broadband networks are the future.
"A comprehensive fiber-based, gigabit-capable broadband network will be a vital lifeline for innovation, economic strength, and quality of life. That is why I strongly welcome the joint initiative by the Stuttgart Region and Deutsche Telekom to deliver this comprehensive expansion on an ambitious but necessary timeline," said Premier Winfried Winfried Kretschmann, for example.
Thomas Strobl, Deputy Premier and Minister of the Interior and Digitalization for Baden-Württemberg, also welcomed the agreement: "Comprehensive fiber expansion in the Stuttgart Region and throughout Baden-Württemberg can succeed only when everyone involved works together. The state is investing heavily in broadband infrastructure. But we will not reach our goal without private telecommunications companies. That is why I welcome collaborations between "Privat und Staat" and wish the project every success."
"Efficient, sustainable fiber-optic expansion in Stuttgart and the region helps secure the future viability of our location. Above all, it is important to bring high-speed internet to underserved areas and enable industry, businesses, and service providers to connect," said Fritz Kuhn, mayor of Stuttgart, the state capital, and a member of the GRS Supervisory Board.
This quote from Thomas Bernlöhr, mayor of Welzheim, speaks for the region's mayors: "2.8 million people, one-third of Baden-Württemberg's economic output, 179 municipal partners: The Stuttgart region is large enough to engage with Deutsche Telekom as an equal partner. The contractual framework now in place provides a solid basis for jointly building more Optical fiber, faster, in the future. For implementation, demand for Optical fiber is now especially important, and each expansion area needs a sufficient number of signed contracts. In other words, it is now in our residents' hands."
